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Not that the fear had lasted long. Not once Perseus got ahold of her.
Lillie’s father found Jesus, though he didn’t realize the devil had been the one to send the message. He’d never touched his girl again, and Lillie had made sure that Jana had a first-class education on boosting cars.
Fair trade. Sure seemed like that now.
Jana kept the other vehicle in sight as it weaved through the streets. Since she’d been gone, Perseus had changed their location. They did that as part of their protection strategy. They changed locations every few months. Tricky bastards.
She kept a few cars between her and Zane’s current ride. Not so many that she would lose sight of the vehicle and not too few because she didn’t want the people with Zane to see her.
They swept past the St. Louis cemetery and the white tombstones rose up past the wrought iron fence, ghostly markers to map the trail to Perseus.
Her fingers tightened on the wheel as a shiver skated down her spine. She’d never been too fond of the cemeteries in New Orleans. Because she knew, unlike most of the tourists, that some of the dead could really come out and take a bite out of their unsuspecting prey. And with all those folks out there working their summoning spells—spells they thought were simply harmless games they’d read about in books—well, she knew better. Nothing harmless about them. She’d seen her share of walking nightmares.
More miles passed. They snaked through a neighborhood. Looked so normal. Things always looked normal.
Then the houses began to disappear. The storm a few years ago had destroyed a lot here, and folks hadn’t rebuilt. Not that she blamed them, not one damn bit.
Where are we going? The car ate up more road. Some factories dotted the street now. Warehouses.
Finally, finally, the car pulled into the lot near a warehouse. Above the wooden doors, two white masks had been painted onto the red wood. One smiling, animated face; the other crying, with a tear drop sliding down the white cheek. Mardi Gras masks.
She drove past the building and made sure not to let her car slow for even a second. In her rearview mirror, she saw the driver climb out of the other vehicle. Looked like a young guy. Perseus did like to recruit them young.
The driver glanced up and he stared after her car.
She didn’t accelerate. Didn’t zoom out of there with a squeal of tires. Jana just kept her speed nice and easy. She took a left at the corner, aware that her heart was slamming into her ribs. She’d find a place to stash the car, then she’d go back for Zane.
She knew where he was now. Knew exactly where Perseus was.
She smiled.
Guess who is coming home? Time to raise a little hell.
* * *
They took his blindfold off the minute the heavy metal doors swung shut behind him. Zane blinked, and his eyes adjusted almost immediately to the darkness. Handy little demon side effect. The darkness never hindered his vision.
Monsters surrounded him. Dragons with fire shooting from their mouths. Horned bulls the size of buses. An angry Poseidon sprang forth from the sea, with his trident up and ready to attack.
“It’s a float graveyard,” the kid said, shrugging. “Once the parades are over, you got to find some place to store them.”
Zane glanced over at Nancy. Her hands were twisted in front of her. “I’m going to be leaving you soon.”
He’d make a point of seeing her again.
“Davey can take you in the back. He’ll introduce you to the folks who can help you.” Her breath heaved out on a sigh. “This is going to be good for you.” Her face and voice seemed so sincere. “This will be a whole new world.”
“I’m counting on it.”
She offered him a trembling smile, then her head inclined toward the kid. “Okay, Davey. You take him back there, then you can come and drive me to the hospital.”
Now that was odd. “Why don’t you come with us?”
Fear flashed in her eyes, just for a moment. “I-I need some air.”
Right. There was plenty of air to breathe right there.
She turned away.
